Office of Campaign Finance: Fenty Need Not Declare Trip

Mayor Fenty said yesterday that the United Arab Emirates government paid for his week-long trip to Dubai last week. But when asked by D.C. Wire how much it cost, the mayor declined to answer. We also called the D.C. Office of Campaign Finance to ask whether Fenty needs to declare the gift. General Counsel Kathy S. Willams tells us that he does not.

"We do not look at this as an organization doing business with the District," she said. "We discussed this, but it's a foreign government and not a business."

When asked yesterday whether he had raised any campaign funds while in Dubai, Fenty said no. He also said he did not solicit donations to the D.C. Fund for Public Education, which he set up to collect money for his public school reform effort.